Tag Archives: olives

As Morg and I chatted today about a blog she reads called Sarcastic Cooking (which is awesome despite the fact they clearly stole my name), I realized how much I’ve been denying this blog in the name of work. Let’s abruptly put a stop to that shall we?

I made this recipe a month or so ago to take to the lake, and as any meat-laced pasta salad is sure to be, it was a winner. This is a recipe from Giada de Laurentis, who, I’d like to reiterate, cannot possibly be eating the food she cooks on TV. She should look like Paula Deen with all the butter and sugar that goes into everything, yet she’s one bikini and dye-job away from being a Playmate. I do not buy it, Giada. Just know that.

Anyway, a pasta salad recipe that uses salami and olives is a slam dunk with me in any capacity; however I have modified this recipe slightly because our Italian sister went ape crazy with the oil. Seriously, I had to strain the pasta salad after I made it because it was swimming in extra virgin. But fear not – proportions have been corrected accordingly, so whip up with confidence.

Despite his tendency to explain things in such extreme detail that it makes me want to watch E! and read People magazine for 24-hours straight just to give my brain a rest, Alton Brown knows his shiz. This recipe was taken from his and was salty, rich deliciousness. The Chef is usually not a fan of olives, but tapenade made him a believer, so try it on for size if you’re a skeptic.

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste, approximately 1 to 2 minutes total. (I processed less because I like it to keep a sturdier texture. That is the weirdest phrase I’ve typed in a while.) Transfer to a bowl and serve with homemade crostini or pita bread – it needs a bready texture to soak up the saltiness, so purchase accordingly.

*I’d suggest 1/3 each of green, black and something funky like kalamata.
**Just pull them out of the can and go with it. Over-thinking is bad as far as these weird but nummy little thingies go.

I thought this recipe was a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people ask what the actual seven layers are in Seven Layer Dip. So here ya go.

The secret is using picante sauce where so many people use salsa because it gives you just enough zing to cut through the creaminess.
(It’s also technically 8 layers if you include the tomatoes on the top, but it will be so good that no one will complain.) Now go getcho chips and enjoy.